Vinscale Octomus
Vinscale Octomus is a monstrous species of cephalopod that normally resides in Antarctic waters. History Alpha Team As their natural habitat is exclusively located in the waters of Antarctica, Vinscale Octomus remained an undocumented species until they were discovered by Alpha Team during Mission Deep Freeze. With Evil Ogel's Ice Orbs spreading across the LEGO Planet, global climates dropped to temperatures far below normal. As a result, a single Vinscale Octomus migrated north to the coast just off of World City. Seeing Minifigures as prey, the Vinscale Octomus emerged from the ocean and attacked the city. Alpha Team only managed to bring down the fearsome beast with assistance from the newly-assembled PBB, who noticed that the Vinscale Octomus's brain sac appeared to be its weak point. Throughout the remainder of Mission Deep Freeze, Alpha Team agents occasionally had run-ins with Vinscale Octomus specimens in their natural habitat. Frozeen named the species after an encounter with a number of Vinscale Octomus residing in an underground river in an Ice Snake den. Dino Attack During the Dino Attack, a swarm of Vinscale Octomus became mutated by the Maelstrom through XERRD experimentation. Now, even more dangerous than before, the Mutant Vinscale Octomus swarm took up residence off the coast of LEGO City. After the swarm was inadvertently discovered by Rex, Zero, and Phantom, Dino Attack Team learned to stay clear of the coast in order to avoid these fearsome beasts, since they were too dangerous to be properly dealt with at the time. Shortly before the Goo Caverns mission, Rex, Amanda Claw, Frozeen, and Sam Throramebi had one final encounter with the Mutant Vinscale Octomus swarm. The Mutant Vinscale Octomus swarm was ultimately wiped out by Goo Spheres launched by Evil Ogel and General from an Ogel airship. Biology A normal Vinscale Octomus is a giant cephalopod with a large number of tentacles, each one approximately forty meters in length and able to ensnare any prey with its slime-coated suction cups. Each Vinscale Octomus has six eyes centered around a large mouth in the center of its face. A Vinscale Octomus is impervious to most damage, and can survive the force of a building collapsing directly on top of it. The Vinscale Octomus's brain is located in a sac of glowing tissue suspended beneath its body, which serves as its only known weakpoint. Because the Vinscale Octomus's natural habitat is in Antarctic waters, it can only survive in freezing-cold temperatures. It is amphibious to a degree, able to briefly survive outside water in order to pursue prey on land. Maelstrom-infected Vinscale Octomus are even more dangerous than their brethren. Notable differences in the Mutant Vinscale Octomus's anatomy including four extra eyes; an elastic claw-tipped tongue that can stretch and ensnare its prey; spine-covered tentacles that now reach up to fifty meters in length; and a thick layer of rough skin protecting its brain sac. Much like the Hydra of Greek mythology, a Mutant Vinscale Octomus can regrow two tentacles to replace a single tentacle that has been severed. Unlike natural Vinscale Octomus, Mutant Vinscale Octomus do not need to live in cold temperatures. The only known weakness of Mutant Vinscale Octomus is that, due to the manner in which they were mutated, their nervous systems can be shut off by Green Goo. Trivia *The etymology behind Frozeen's naming of the Vinscale Octomus is as follows: "Vinscale" is derived from the Kelvin scale, which relates to the fact that Vinscale Octomus can only survive in freezing-cold temperatures; "Octomus" is a simple corruption of the word "octopus", describing the Vinscale Octomus's cephalopod-like appearance. *The Vinscale Octomus was inspired by the Watcher in the Water, a tentacled monster that attacks the Fellowship of the Ring outside the Mines of Moria in The Lord of the Rings. *In its first appearance in Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze RPG, the Vinscale Octomus was said to have one hundred tentacles that were at least a mile long. This is no longer considered canon. *As part of the collaboration between Dino Attack RPG and Project U, the tentacle of a Mutant Vinscale Octomus makes a cameo appearance at the end of Ocean of Fear. It is also set to appear in Johnny Thunder and the Wonders Beneath the Waves. External Links *Mutant Vinscale Octomus LXF Category:Species Category:PeabodySam Category:Stromlings